Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2023

Profile & Story

Ridge Vineyards traces its roots to 1885, when Dr. Osea Perrone purchased 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge, terraced the slopes, and built a winery from native limestone, producing his first vintage under the Monte Bello name in 1892. The modern winery was re-established in 1962 by a group of Stanford engineers, and Paul Draper joined as winemaker in 1969, building the consistent quality and international reputation Ridge maintains today. The estate follows a hands-off philosophy that relies on nature and tradition rather than technology, seeking out intense, flavorful grapes and intruding on the winemaking process only when necessary. Based on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains at 2,600 feet, with additional estates at Lytton Springs and Geyserville in Sonoma County, Ridge is known primarily for Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel from estate and vineyard-designated sources, alongside Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, Petite Sirah, and a limited Chardonnay. The Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon label returns in 2023 after having been renamed Estate Cabernet in 2008, reflecting a wine now sourced from multiple growers across the appellation - Bates Ranch, Fellom Ranch, Monte Bello, and Vidovich Vineyards - rather than exclusively from Ridge's own Monte Bello vineyard. The 2023 is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. Grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed, sorted, and fermented on indigenous yeast as 100% whole berries, then aged seventeen months in barrel using 100% air-dried American oak (30% new, 10% one year old, 20% two years old, and 40% four and five years old). The wine reaches 13.2% alcohol.